Driving - Manage the Risks

There are many thousands of accidents involving motor vehicles every year. With a little extra care and attention, though, I think it would be fair to say that many of these could be avoided.

Driver error is the single biggest cause of accidents involving motor vehicles, accounting for somewhere between 77 and 90% of the total figure, depending on which publications you read.

Vehicle defects are the next, followed by drug driving.

This is by no means an exhaustive guide on the subject. There is plenty of in depth statistical information out there if you care to look for it. Hopefully, though, this piece may give you a few things to think about to help you manage the day to day risks of driving.

Before the Journey

Ask yourself honestly, is your vehicle fit for the journey you are about to undertake? 

Yes, it may have passed the MOT, but that could have been some months ago.

- Are your bulbs all working?

- Are your fluid levels topped up?

- Are your tyres in good condition, correctly inflated and have adequate tread?

- Are your windscreen wipers functioning correctly?

An interesting fact for you. The minimum legal tyre tread is 1.6mm, however, if you actually look at a barely legal tyre it looks almost bald.  

RoSPA advise changing tyres when they reach 3mm. Below 3mm stopping distances increase considerably as tyre grip decreases. 

On tarmac, a tyre with just 1.6mm of tread takes 37% longer to stop than a tyre with 3mm. My personal view is that isn't an acceptable risk worth taking.

I want to make sure that I can stop quickly and safely in the minimum distance. One day someone’s life may depend on it.

These are simple checks that take no time to do, and in most cases cost absolutely nothing, but even if you do need to change a tyre or two, what price do you put on safety?

Going beyond the basic checks we can do ourselves, when was the last time your vehicle had a thorough service? If you can't remember then it is probably time you did.

Next to driver error, brake failure, defective tyres, suspension and steering problems are high on the list. Thorough and regular servicing will usually identify potential issues before they become a real risk to driver safety.

Because many of the serviceable parts are not in plain sight, quite often these will be ignored until it is very obvious that there is a problem. Don’t wait until it’s too late.

During the Journey

Anyone that travels in my car would probably say that I am the most boring driver they have encountered. Why? I ask for passenger chat to be kept to a minimum, no mobile calls until we have parked and no radio or music.

This may sound extreme, but that is my choice as a driver.  The simple fact is that many accidents are caused by driver distraction, and this in turn leads to driver error. 

So you can see it follows that if you keep unnecessary distractions to a minimum, more of your attention is devoted to the task of safely driving the car.

I’m not for one moment saying that drivers should not talk to their passengers, or the radio should never be on, but what I am saying is that, where possible, keep distractions to a minimum. Definitely no mobile phone!

Once we are moving, good forward planning is key to a comfortable, safe drive. Have you ever been in a car with someone who is always hitting the brakes because they missed one thing or another? I certainly have. 

How does that make you feel? For me, in some cases, frankly I just didn’t feel safe, and that isn’t a great feeling.

Forward planning is simply looking ahead at the approaching landscape and identifying any possible hazards that could affect or interrupt your drive. 

For example, a set of lights that have been green for a while that could change. Another example could be that you see a parked lorry, blocking off your immediate road ahead. Spot the obstacle early enough, check your mirrors and, if it’s safe, go around.

The alternative scenario is to sing along to your radio, pay no attention, spot the parked lorry very late, panic and steer around with no safety checks, thereby running the risk of a collision.

You are probably thinking that all this sounds quite obvious, and yes you would be right. For many motorists vehicle maintenance and journey planning is an obvious thing to do, and that will be reflected in their driving record and insurance premium. 

For many others, however, these simple things are a complete mystery. This type of driver make the roads more hazardous than they need to be.

In summary:

• Do your fluid and tyre checks regularly.
• Make sure your vehicle is regularly serviced.
• Plan your journey in advance, and keep your eyes open as you drive. Look out for those who aren't, or can't be bothered.

At the very least I hope that this basic guide has given you some food for thought. If it gets just one person to pop outside and check their tyres or bulbs (preferably both!) this will have been time well spent.

Stay safe and enjoy your driving.